Government housing assistance was associated with a nearly seven-percentage point lower risk of experiencing financial hardship related to medical expenses among US renters with a history of cancer, new research finds. The findings, described in a research letter published August 27 in JAMA Network Open, demonstrate that this assistance not only alleviates housing insecurity, but is associated with improvement in the overall financial security of renters with cancer. This leads to improved quality of life and a reduction in the risk of ...

Investigators at Mass General Brigham and the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have uncovered how patients’ healthcare spending has changed following the implementation of the No Surprises Act in 2022, a bipartisan law prohibiting unexpected or “surprise” bills after patients receive out-of-network medical care. The team found that the law dramatically reduced out-of-pocket costs, with an average annual savings of ...

Background and objectives Skin cancer, the most common global malignancy, is linked to ultraviolet (UV)-driven serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)synthesis, with its controversial role possibly reflecting cumulative UV exposure. This study aimed to assess the association and causality between 25(OH)D levels and skin cancer risk using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2018) data and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses, evaluating 25(OH)D as a screening biomarker. Methods We integrated data ...

Lugano, Switzerland, 27 August 2025 – The Molecular Analysis for Precision Oncology Congress 2025 (MAP) will bring together leading experts to explore the latest advances in cancer research, with a focus on deepening the understanding of disease mechanism and enhancing strategies for prevention and interception. Key topics will include the integration of AI in diagnostics and therapy, alongside advances in immunotherapy and emerging developments in aging, cellular senescence, the microbiome, and cancer metabolism — all contributing to the evolving landscape of precision oncology.  The congress will be held ...

Background and objectives Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition with significant health implications worldwide. In Nigeria, data on its prevalence and characteristics are limited, highlighting the need for comprehensive studies to better understand its epidemiology and clinical features in the region. This study aimed to assess the clinical presentation, endoscopic findings, and management challenges of IBD among patients undergoing colonoscopy in Nigeria. Methods Over five years (2019–2024), ...

(WASHINGTON — August 27, 2025) – Treatment with exagamglogene autotemcel (exa-cel) led to robust and sustained improvements in quality of life for patients with severe sickle cell disease (SCD) or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, according to two studies published in Blood Advances.   “This is the first time we’ve been able to measure improvements in quality of life after treatment with gene editing technology,” said Josu de la Fuente, PhD, director of the Paediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Programme at Imperial College London Healthcare NHS Trust, professor of practice (Cell & Gene Therapy) at Imperial ...

Background and objectives Immunization against human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly with a single-dose vaccine, offers a cost-effective strategy for cervical cancer prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence following a single-dose bivalent HPV vaccine among adolescent girls in Bangladesh and to examine its association with sociodemographic characteristics. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 648 adolescent girls (aged nine to fifteen years) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who received a single dose of the bivalent HPV vaccine in November 2019. Participants were recruited from ten local schools. ...

Media Contact: Karen Addis, APR,karen@addispr.com, 301-787-2394 Alexandria, Va. (Aug. 27, 2025) — While the employment landscape for Black women continues to shift in 2025, Black women with disabilities are actively pursuing self-employment as a viable career option, according to new research published in the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, a publication of the American Counseling Association. The report, Breaking Barriers: The Economic Realities of Self-Employed Black Women With Disabilities,” is part of a special issue focusing on Black Americans with disabilities. The study captures a ...

SAN ANTONIO — August 27, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute scientists developed a new purification technique to improve chromatography results without expensive purification materials or equipment. Chromatography is an essential part of drug discovery, development and quality control, allowing scientists to isolate and synthesize active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that meet U.S. Food & Drug Administration purity standards. “By far the most widely used chromatography purification process relies on silica gel; however, silica fails when purifying extremely ...

Gaps are emerging in the provision of local news across Australia, but embracing community driven content could be key to improving the viability of local news. A new report from the University of Canberra (UC) and RMIT University – Engaged Journalism in the Heartland: Understanding Regional News Audiences – encompassing multiple studies, proposes recommendations to turn the situation around. Researchers surveyed audiences, analysed more than 3,000 news stories and interviewed more than 200 people from regional communities across the country. Report lead author and Director of UC’s News and Media Research Centre, ...

A pioneering study by researchers from Finland and the UK has demonstrated for the first time that myocardial infarction may be an infectious disease. This discovery challenges the conventional understanding of the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction and opens new avenues for treatment, diagnostics, and even vaccine development. According to the recently published research, an infection may trigger myocardial infarction. Using a range of advanced methodologies, the research found that, in coronary artery disease, atherosclerotic plaques containing cholesterol may harbour a gelatinous, asymptomatic biofilm formed by bacteria over years or even decades. Dormant ...

Washington, August 26, 2025—A new study finds that four-year colleges and universities that both enroll and graduate low-income students at high rates—termed “Equity Engines” by the author—are unevenly distributed across the United States. Many states have no institutions that meet the criteria. The study was published today in AERA Open, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association. Conducted by Becca Spindel Bassett, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Arkansas, the study identifies just 91 Equity Engines out of 1,584 public and private nonprofit ...

The American Meteorological Society announces its 2026 Awards and Honors, recognizing outstanding contributions to the weather, water, and climate community by individuals and organizations. 2026 recipients will be honored at the 106th AMS Annual Meeting in Houston, 25–29 January, 2026. “Through its awards AMS recognizes some of the many, many exceptional people working across the Weather, Water, and Climate Enterprise to benefit humanity,” says AMS Past President Anjuli Bamzai, chair of the AMS Awards Oversight Committee. “Even as our community is facing a time ...

Imbalanced autonomic function, characterized by reduced vagal activity and sympathetic dominance, is increasingly recognized in various gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. The vagus nerve, a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system, plays a critical role in regulating upper GI motility, inflammation, and pain perception. Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS) offers a non-invasive method to modulate vagal activity, presenting a promising therapeutic approach for GI conditions. This review synthesizes evidence from clinical trials on the efficacy of tVNS—including transcutaneous ...

PULLMAN, Wash. – Across the United States, the return of students to college campuses during the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall of 2020 sparked widespread fears that local communities would be overwhelmed by the virus. While some university towns experienced surges in caseloads linked to those returning students, a new study of Pullman, Washington — home to Washington State University — found that was not the case universally. Published in the journal Epidemiology, the study found “outbreaks” ...

Malibu, CA, August 26, 2025 CURE GABA-A (https://curegabaa.org/) is proud to announce a major new partnership with Grann Pharmaceuticals. CURE GABA-A is a nonprofit patient advocacy group founded by Monica Joanna Elnekaveh, mother to Eleanor Elnekaveh. Grann Pharmaceuticals has completed the initial safety regimen of RTT-1 (ELEANOR) in Eleanor as its very first patient.  Together with COMBINEDBrain, Agustina Fernandez, Sarah Poliquin, Amber Freed, and Roberto Gomez, CURE GABA-A is expanding into a truly global network connecting families, researchers, and industry partners to accelerate the development of life-changing ...

GLOBAL VIRUS NETWORK ANNOUNCES 2025 RISING STAR MENTORSHIP PROGRAM AWARDEES Five early-career virologists selected for prestigious two-year mentorship and research program Tampa, FL, August 27, 2025 – The Global Virus Network (GVN), a worldwide coalition of animal and human virologists spanning 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates across more than 40 countries dedicated to advancing pandemic preparedness, announced today the five distinguished recipients of its 2025 Rising Star Mentorship Program. Now in its third cohort, the program is designed to identify and support early-career ...

Soft robotics, which uses flexible and deformable materials, is an emerging field in autonomous systems. It has recently been applied to next-generation tasks such as deep-sea sampling with soft robotic grippers—requiring strong adhesion and autonomous detachment. Bioinspired adhesion offers a promising solution. In nature, gecko feet, mussel proteins, and octopus suction cups achieve efficient, reversible adhesion for underwater tasks like object pickup, movement in tight spaces, and surface attachment. Inspired by these, researchers have developed ...

Hydrogels are soft, water-rich polymeric materials that can swell or shrink in response to environmental stimuli. This ability to change shape makes them valuable in miniaturized devices for flexible electronics, microrobotics, intelligent surfaces, and biomedical applications such as drug delivery. For example, hydrogel pores can be engineered to trap and release tiny drug particles on demand. However, most current hydrogel pores use circular designs, which limit control over shape change and lead to unpredictable, slow actuation. They often close unevenly and recover poorly, reducing their precision and reliability. To address ...

In stoichiometric compounds (compounds with fixed ratios of elements), the elemental ratios are dictated by chemical stability, which constrains how much the composition, and consequently the number of valence electron-per-atom (e/a) ratio, can be adjusted. Tuning e/a has been proved to be a promising strategy to architecture magnetic properties in many intermetallic compounds, especially those with complex structures including quasicrystals (QCs) and their structurally related approximant crystals (ACs). Owing to their structural complexity, their electronic properties are sensitive to the number of valence electron-per-atom (e/a). Stoichiometric ...

In recent decades, communication technology has advanced at unprecedented speed. A key breakthrough is semantic communications—a shift from transmitting raw data to conveying semantic meaning. For example, in image transmission, meaning takes priority over pixel-level accuracy. By integrating user tasks into the communication process, semantic communications improve both efficiency and user experience. While deep learning has accelerated progress, a transition from analog to digital modulation is essential for compatibility ...

Bulimia nervosa (BN), or bulimia, is a mental health disorder characterized by binge eating and a fear of gaining weight, which drives people to try and avoid weight gain, usually by compensatory (vomiting etc.). Over time, this binge–purge cycle harms both physical and mental health of the individual, leading to problems like dehydration, low blood pressure, depression, and even self-harm. BN mostly affects young women and often begins in their teenage years, with studies showing that up to three percent of women may experience BN at some point in their lives, putting them at higher risk if left untreated. BN is thought to develop ...

Pressure sensors are crucial in many emerging applications, but traditional designs are often bulky or inflexible. In a recent study, researchers from Japan developed a fiber-shaped pressure sensor that overcomes this limitation by increasing—rather than decreasing—its resistance when compressed. Owing to a unique multi-walled conductive core made from graphene nanoplatelets, these fibers could enable fine-tuned tactile sensing for next-generation smart textiles and robotic grippers. The need for pressure sensors has been steadily increasing across diverse applications, from robotic grippers that need accurate tactile ...

Deforestation in tropical countries could contribute to increased deaths from heat exposure in nearby populations, new research has shown.    Published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, the research was led by Dr Carly Reddington and Professor Dominick Spracklen, from the University of Leeds’ School of Earth and Environment.    The study, which analysed areas across Central and South America, Africa and South-East Asia, found that local climate heating caused by tropical deforestation has exposed over 300 million people to increased temperatures and is associated with 28,000 ...

An innovative backpack, incorporating aerospace technology, shows promise as a balance aid for patients with the movement disorder ataxia. Research conducted by Radboud university medical center, in collaboration with Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and Erasmus MC, reveals that the backpack helps individuals with ataxia stand and walk more steadily, reducing their reliance on mobility aids like walkers. Ataxia is a neurological condition in which the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for coordination, functions improperly. This leads to issues with balance and coordination, increasing the risk of falls. Dr. Jorik Nonnekes, rehabilitation ...